Friday, January 25, 2013

Where are you reading this? Your hotel bedroom or home kitchen chair - is it supporting you?


High chairs - I'm playing musical chairs seeking back-supporting, comfortable chairs.

I am looking for not just a high back chair but a vertical back for sitting at a laptop at a dining table. As Alexander technique books show, if you sit with your back reclining even slightly this puts pressure on the neck. Your neck is at a V when your back is leaning back but the head is leaning forwards. This happens when you look at something, whether eating, reading or at a computer or Skyping to family. 
If you know anybody who sells an upright chair, one which is really upright like the solid wood carver chair in stately homes and restaurants, in grand old-fashioned hotels, I'd like to know.  I already have lots of dining chairs which recline slightly. 
I have stayed in numerous properties. Where was the best chair?
In 1980 for my wedding anniversary we went on a tour to Scotland and stayed mostly at cheap bed and breakfast hotels whilst splurging or gourmet dinners. We visited Inverlochy Castle hotel and restaurant. My visualising brain tells me that this was where I first saw ideal upright dining chair. 
However, my date-checking brain tells me that the perfect chair was probably found in 1984. That year I had a car accident causing multiple injuries including a broken collar bone and broken ribs and a broken or cracked shoulder blade. It's more likely that in another restaurant that year I saw a solid wood chair at a grand hotel and asked for a different, upholstered chair. While waiting for it to be fetched, I reluctantly sat down on the wooden chair which had an upright back. To my amazement the high back upright chair, although it was solid wood, was more comfortable than the upholstered chair with the slight recline A reclining chair gave no support when you tried to sit upright or incline your head forwards to read a menu.
On social occasions, such as at book groups, there's often one person who asks for 'an upright chair'. I add my request. But the upright chair often does not have an upright back. It's fine for staring at the ceiling. Not for looking at a book cover.
When visiting friends or sitting in hotel rooms when travelling for business or pleasure I'm often sitting at a worktop checking my emails. I sit in the chairs provided. 
At home I've inherited various chairs which I am loathe to change. But I have chances to change chairs or replace them as three members of my family work in different areas of the same city or on different continents. I own, home swap for holidays, rent from others or rent out property belonging to myself or others. 
I am also a keen ebay buyer and any of you who use ebay will know that once you have done a search for something such as high back chairs if you save your search every few hours for the rest of your life you are sent possible matches. If you don't save a search but buy something, you are sent possible matches. So I am inundated with anything high anything with a back, and every kind of chair.
You might think that a high back dining chair or straight back chair which is easier to produce would be the norm. But no. It's a speciality item and assuming you are in pain and will pay any amount to relieve your pain the manufacturers want you to spend thousands of pounds on one chair. As for people furnishing care homes, they too are assumed to be spendthrifts, not misers. Despite the fact that in my experience most accountants count the pennies - and don't let the pounds look after themselves.
Do you know of a straight back chair. Please tell me. Thanks for feedback or just reading this. I want to spread the word to consumers and retailers and wholesalers and manufacturers. Maybe this could be my campaign. I would initially buy one, chairs to try it out. If suitable, I would then buy two, four, or more for my next property refurbishment. I could even go into business and get on television. Must take a break - to relieve the stress on my wrists and back. 

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Poem on Snow


verse 1296 Snow
by Angela Lansbury

The snow so slowly drifting down
Sways left to right to paint the town
In softest, brightest, lightest white
To silence both day and cold night

You say you like to see the snow
You dream of mountains where you ski
We’ve cancelled all our plans today
Frankly, the news seems bad to me

Snow looks silk-soft, like cotton wool
Until you slip and feel a fool
While kids let out too soon from school
Ignore obvious safety rules

With glee, hurtling at you downhill
As sudden as an avalanche
Uncaring who they hit or kill
I’m cold and cough, it’s flu, I”m ill!

Pneumonia, take bitter pills
The frail, old fall and die from chills
Black ice can’t thrill me any more
I’ve swept up slush, it’s such a chore 

I’ve learned that winter is a pain
I’m off to sunny Singapore
Or Spain and won’t be back again
Until warm sunshine melts this shore

Won’t drive in snow, I’m not that brave
I’d paddle in a teeny wave
And watch froth eddy to and fro
And leave you home - stuck watching snow.

-ends-
copyright Angela Lansbury 2013

Comic Response To Hecklers

Problem
How do you respond to hecklers?

Ansers
1 Do not get angry. Do not walk off stage nor threaten to do so. Remain good humoured. Be prepared.

2 Plan and list some possible heckles, work out possible responses and memorise responses.
Depending on the age of the heckler - or for humorous effect if you reply as if they were a different age:
'I asked my father to come along. That was a mistake.'
'Never invite your ex along.'
'OK you can be part of the act - but you won't get paid.'
'Anybody got a funny answer to that? Thank you / Maybe there isn't one.'
'I told my brother, pretend to be drunk, angry - and stupid.'
'I said I was too busy to come to your stage act. I just changed my mind.'

'Assume they are a friend / boyfriend, or could be:
'No, you can't buy me a drink - oh, all right, if you insist!'
'Listen folks, he's probably a nice guy, deep down - if you want to go that far.'
'Would my mother like you? Probably. But she's dead.'
'Get off the stage - get off with whom? With you? Later, darling.'
'I was paid for ten minutes but they'd had enough after five. Brilliant pay.'
'My boyfriend said he didn't want me to go out tonight - but I didn't think he'd take things this far.'
'That's what happens when you take the last parking space.'
'What did they put in your drink? Give me something else.'
'Best offer I've had all evening.'
'Angry guys excite me. Wow - it's getting better! Please, enough. Keep going - we're nearly there. Yes, yes, yes.'
'Four letter words turn me on - that was good. .... Can you say it French? How about Italian? My language course doesn't teach me these words.'
'I teach English. That's great. Now, can you say a complete sentence? Now in the past tense.'
'What did you have for breakfast?'
'What are you going to do tonight?'
'Is that what you'd really like to do? My last boyfriend put it differently.
'People usually buy me dinner first.'
'I didn't pay him enough.'
'My mother told me that when a man shouts insults, he wants your attention, because he likes you. Two men! Aren't I lucky! I do like attention.'
'Never stop a man and tell him you have to go on stage.'
'Where did you get that lovely tee-shirt?'
'Hey - are you calling me? Oh - the gents are that way. Can somebody help him, I don't think he can stand.'
'I don't think you should drive, darling. I'll drive us home.'
'I told him, if you love me, shout something, don't shout I love you, shout something else. See he still loves me.'
'I tried computer dating but I get more attention from men by going on stage.'

Angela Lansbury
Author of Quick Quotations.
Please like and share your favourite posts.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

How Do You Reward Governors & Ensure They Attend Meetings - Not Sack Them?


The question everybody wants answered is What's In It For Me? What's the carrot and what's the stick? The club expects the Area Governor to mentor and help them. The Area Governor may expect the club to help the Area Governor. Every choice is a see-saw. You must have enough carrot to balance any stick.
Maybe not enough carrot. Praise. Reward. Time spent. This problem applies at all levels from Member, SAA, Secretary, VPE, President, and upwards.
1 What do you do if somebody cannot attend a meeting? Before. Tell members they must communicate with a brief apology. Officers must attend or send their friend or assistant.
Carrot? Offer overnight accommodation and free meal, travel allowance/car pool.
Maybe the first club visit should include meeting District Governor. Or make a special event at the club so the AG gains something, such as networking or training, or delivers a training session?
2 During. Project management. Is the member or Area Governor en route, on time or late and missing? Call them. Not angry, but worried. Can you find the venue? Are you OK?
You can't make it? What do we need to do? Have you briefed anybody else?
You're delayed. Don't worry, we saved tea for you.
3 After. You can't just fire Area Ggovernor or anybody without explaining that certain things must be done by an office holder. Bosses are reluctant to fire somebody because the boss wants to maintain goodwill, from the person fired and not make others nervous.
How do you keep on good terms afterwards? A really tactful thank you letter explaining how much they contributed at the start when they were less busy? Invitation back to Xmas party? Send profuse thanks from the club below? Thanks from the Divison Governor or other office holder above to an Area Governor who travels miles to see a club?
The underperforming person might be overwhelmed by work and not want to let you down by giving up entirely. They may be relieved to resign. But even if they are happy, you need to save face all round. To avoid sending a signal that rats are leaving a sinking ship and make others panic, you need to show that everybody will benefit.
All the answers I've read are right. You need to communicate in advance, at the time and afterwards, providing guidance, backup advice, and a buddy or supporter. Extraverts love phone chats and are unnerved by 'unfriendly terse one-liners'.
But busy introverts are outraged by time wasting long emails and only want to know what action to take. Extreme introverts may deal with emails point by point. Introverts may feel that a phone checkup on clubs is sufficient instead of a visit. Other types avoid emails but love phone chats and visits. Extraverts feel face to face chats and visits are better.  You can see by the length of most answers the personality types on forums.

Speaker For You On Skype, or Singapore, Or Live in London

 I am in the UK right now but travel between the UK and Singapore. If anybody will pay a modest fee plus my fare and accommodation and meals I'll speak at a conference or on TV or radio anywhere on any subject. I write for encyclopaedias and teach multiple subjects to all ages and business. I am a humorous speaker with props and puppets, love question and answer sessions and my special subjects include Public speaking, Sales speech, Good English, International travel destinations, International business, Etiquette for business, weddings and all occasions. I speak to schools about animals and writing poems, to writing groups, and university students on Time management, Exam Success, and Raising Morale and Preventing Depression and Suicide. I have lived in the UK, USA, Spain and Singapore. I have ten books published by mainstream publishers (Wedding Speeches & Toasts) plus several more self-published including Quick Quotations. I have been on the Arthur Frommer TV programme in the USA coast to coast and numerous TV and radio stations around the world including Europe and Australia. (I'm President of Harrovian Speakers in London this year - if you're on holiday or business, do visit us!) 

No Sex But Speakers For Your Pupils Or Clubs Or Business On Skype


Angela Lansbury (angelalansbury@hotmail.com) The future for speaking and teaching worldwide is in Skype and video. They had teachers in Australia on radio and TV years ago. Now I can phone National Health Service direct in the UK a speak to a nurse any time day or night. Your speaker fails to turn up in California or Shanghai, you have transport problems, I can help. In theory you can have an able bodied or blind or deaf or wheelchair bound or even paraplegic speaker or teacher on one continent and a group of blind or deaf or wheelchair bound pupils or retirees or prisoners on another continent and the speaker can deliver a speech or answer questions with a chairman or organiser in the USA co-ordinating and paying the speaker by Paypal. Unless you are doing surgery on brains and supplying sex and sandwiches to the audience there's no reason why the speaker should not be in another country or continent. On second thoughts as surgery is done on TV and porn is big business it's only sandwiches that have be delivered and the speaker can speak from home in their home town. 

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

How to be a Great Leader and Speaker


Recent research suggests that leadership qualities of country leaders are in DNA. How does this affect you?
1Bright people include INTJs (Meyers Briggs personality type), introvert scientists who want to solve their own problems, not those of other people. Einstein was invited to be head of a government but turned it down. (You might get the opportunity to be a leader but turn it down.)
2 You can lead from necessity but retire when the need's gone. The Bielski brothers from a Belarus village led about a thousand people to survive in woodlands in WWII but went back to ordinary, anonymous jobs such as being a New York taxi driver. (You have the potential in a crisis.)
3 Some people are self-propelled. Svengalis, mentors and managers push and pull pop stars, singers and royalty - Diana started as a shy teenager.
4 If you want help and guidance you can get it. Toastmasters International, motto 'Where leaders are made', takes those who are shy or scared of giving presentations and makes them competent, confident performers giving presentations on stage.
To see speech training, often free for visitors, go to Harrovians in Stanmore. www.harrovians.org.uk
Or find a group in a cities worldwide; google Toastmasters International 'find a club'.